


Swords, Ice, & Chains

by callasyndra



Series: Connections [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, M/M, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-29
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-19 05:06:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2375708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callasyndra/pseuds/callasyndra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the 2nd in a series with Fairy Tail characters.  As I was writing Silver Lining, I became curious about Virgo's back story.  It's still coming together for me, but this will feature mainly Gray and Virgo with Erza as a confidant and close friend.  In the series this begins after Natsu & Loke's first date.  So...would Virgray be a good ship name for them?</p><p>I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, but they sure are fun to play with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Virgo and Gray ambled back towards his apartment.  He’d felt a bit awkward at first, but as it became apparent Virgo wasn’t going to try anything weird he’d relaxed.  As they turned a corner and Gray’s apartment came into view Virgo slowed to a halt.

          Gray took a couple of steps past her when he noticed she wasn’t moving.  Turning back he cocked his head at her.  “What’s up?”

          Virgo was silent for a moment before asking, “Gray do you have plans for this evening?”

          He blinked at her then blurted out “Well no.  I thought our plans were to go to dinner with Loke and Natsu.  Is…there something else you want to do tonight?”

          Virgo pursed her lips in thought before answering.  “There is something I’d like to do, but I only want to have to do this once.  How would you feel about me bringing Miss Erza over?  There is something I need to tell both of you before we can move any further.”

          Gray was more than a bit confused now.  “Okay you lost me.  Sure you can bring Erza over, but why would you want to?  And what are you talking about…moving further?”  His eyes widened as Virgo moved into his personal space.

          She gave him a look he’d never thought to see from this Celestial Spirit.  “Why is it people always assume that because I’m the maiden spirit I can’t pick up on the obvious?  You and Miss Erza look at each other and touch each other differently than you do with Natsu or the Princess.  It’s quite obvious the two of you have had sex.  I thought it would be easier to tell you both at once rather than have to go through it a second time as I do not like talking about why I wear my chains.  And I need to see what Miss Erza thinks about you and I.  If it came to a battle I could take her, but I like Miss Erza and I’d rather it not come to that.”

          Gray gaped at Virgo after that announcement.  When his brain finally caught up he snapped his mouth shut.  “You….I….uh sure.  Go get Erza.  But you realize you haven’t asked me what I thought about this whole you and me thing, right?”

          Since she was still standing just in front of him it was easy to tip her head up to meet his eyes.  He gulped as her large blue eyes stared directly into his own.  “Would you like to become more than my friend, Gray?” he was asked quite seriously.

          As he stared into those eyes Gray realized that he _did_ want more than friendship from her.  But she was also slightly terrifying, so he took his time answering.  “I think I might.  Have you ever HAD a relationship before, Virgo?”

          The smile she gave him was devious.  “Gray I am a Celestial Spirit.  We are all immortal.  Do you really think I haven’t had sex since the beginning of time?” 

          Gray rubbed his hair in embarrassment.  “Well I…I don’t know.  Until this whole thing with Loke and Natsu happened I never thought of you that way.  You were always that goofy spirit who liked to bring Lucy clothes from the spirit world.”

          Virgo took one step closer while holding his gaze.  “And now?”

          “Now I think you need to go get Erza so we can talk about whatever it is you think is so important before we can do any things that go beyond friendship.”  He blinked at her again as she smiled softly and quickly brushed his lips with her own.  “I will return shortly with Miss Erza.  You might want to get some alcoholic beverages ready.  The tale you will hear is not pleasant, but it is necessary.”

          She disappeared with a pop.  Gray took in a shaky breath and walked the short distance to his apartment.  _Yeah I think alcohol would be good.  Good Lord how did life get this complicated?  And how many people has she been with?  If she’s immortal…then maybe I don’t really want to know._

* * *

 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­          Virgo popped into Erza’s rooms at Fairy Hills and successfully blocked the sword Erza had thrown at her in reflex.  “Hello Miss Erza.  Gray and I have need of you in a conversation we must have.  Would you mind accompanying me to Gray’s apartment?  He will have alcoholic beverages available,” Virgo added helpfully.

          After the initial surprise had passed, Erza regarded Virgo with a bit of suspicion.  “Why would you want to talk to me over at Gray’s house?” Erza moved to get her sword back from Virgo.  The maiden spirit handed it to her hilt first with a small smile that was not all that happy.

          “It would really be easier if you just came with me.  Everything will be explained once we’re there.  And I don’t think Gray has any sweets at his apartment, so you might want to bring some with you.”

          Erza was still puzzled, but decided it would be easier to just go with Virgo as she had suggested.  She grabbed the remaining pieces of her last strawberry cake and nodded at Virgo.  “Very well, we’ll go see Gray.  And Virgo, stop calling me Miss Erza.  It’s just Erza.”

          “Very well.  Shall we go?” Virgo enquired before opening the door for Erza.  As she walked out, Erza wondered what in the world this conversation was going to be about.  _I hope it’s not more trouble with Natsu and Loke.  Too much more and there’s no way we’ll be able to keep it from Lucy.  And I would really rather not break up our team, either.  Maybe she’s got a suggestion to help keep the team together._ Erza brightened a bit at that thought and followed the silent Virgo out into the evening.

* * *

 

          Gray was ready when the knock came on his door.  Erza lifted an eyebrow at him in question as she walked through followed by the still silent Virgo.  He gave her a slightly worried look in return.  As this silent communication took place, Virgo went over to where Gray had set out the alcohol and helped herself to a smooth whiskey.

          Gray and Erza watched in surprise as Virgo downed quite a bit of her drink before taking a seat.  Gray had arranged the few chairs he had so that all three would have a comfortable place to sit without being out of earshot.  “Erza I’m sure you are wondering why I brought you here,” Virgo began.  “First I want to let you know that I know you and Gray are more than just friends.  And no, he did not tell me,” she added when Erza threw a furious look in Gray’s direction.  “You showed me with your body language.  Celestial Spirits are not human, but we have had hundreds of years to observe humans.  It was not difficult for me to figure out, and big brother knows as well, but he won’t say anything.”

          Erza was watching Virgo with some suspicion now.  “I was hoping this meeting was to discuss Loke and Natsu, but I see this is something different.  Exactly what did you want to talk to us about, Virgo?”

          Gray had been silent during this exchange.  He’d made himself a drink and brought it with him to his seat.  As it turned out, Virgo had situated herself between the other two chairs.  Gray watched as Virgo took a deep breath and closed her eyes before lifting them to meet his squarely.  “I’m going to tell you about the time I was held and tortured by my master.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gray and Erza listen to Virgo talk about a very traumatic time in her life.

Gray sat there for a moment staring at Virgo, then lifted his drink and downed the entire thing.  He stood up and went to make himself another as Erza quizzically studied the maiden spirit.  “What do you mean you were tortured?  I thought Celestial Spirits just went back to the spirit world if they got hurt?”

          “We can only go back to the spirit world if our masters allow us to,” Virgo stated softly while watching Gray’s very stiff back.  He came back to the small seating area and handed her another whiskey before taking his seat.  Then he lifted his eyes to Erza.  “Okay, this is bound to get nasty quickly.  And before you start wondering what the hell you’re doing here, Virgo told me earlier she needed to unload some stuff on us before anything could happen between the two of us.  Meaning Virgo and me,” he explained at Erza’s slight frown of puzzlement. 

          Virgo took another pull of her first drink which was almost empty.  “I do not enjoy talking about this time in my existence.  But you both need to know about it for various reasons.  So I’ll tell you what happened and after that if Gray no longer has any interest in a relationship with me I will only be around to help Natsu and Big Brother.”  She knocked back the rest of her first drink and took a couple of breaths to center herself.

          “This happened to me several centuries ago.  It took a concerted effort between Big Brother, the son of my master, and the Celestial Spirit king to get me out of that contract.  I still do not know my master’s actual name – he never told me.  He defeated my previous master and obtained my key.  After that he made me his slave to play with.  There was never a negotiation contract as there has been with my other masters.  The first time he summoned me he put me into a chokehold and ordered me to manifest in my animal form.  As soon as I was in my animal form he stopped choking me, but it never got any better.  Every time he summoned me he would beat, torture, or humiliate me to make himself feel better.  He was a vile human who lived only to inflict pain and suffering on others.”  She stopped and got up to look out the window overlooking a walkway that led into a nearby park.  The night view calmed her a bit so that she could continue speaking in a monotone voice.

          “I never knew exactly how long he had my contract.  Each time I was allowed to return to the spirit world Big Brother would nurse me back to health.  Eventually he went to the Celestial Spirit king to intercede on my behalf.  I never asked to be let out of the contract because I was terrified of what my master would do to me.  But Leo the Lion never gives up when he sees injustice occurring to one of those he rules over,” she turned with a soft smile.  “He saved my life, but there was another victim that we couldn’t help.  The master’s son was the exact opposite of his father.  He aged almost three years before he was able to free me.  But upon freeing me he paid a terrible price.  I do not know if he knew it would happen beforehand or not.  But because of my freedom he lost his.  His father placed all his tremendous powers of darkness into his son as punishment knowing his son would be tormented by it.  His dying wish was that his son would never have a moment of peace left in his very long life.”

          Quietly Virgo made her way back over to the seat as the other two waited to see what else she had to say.  “The Celestial Spirit king gave Big Brother the power to wrest my key from my master.  But the son had to overpower my master just long enough for Leo to grab me.  And in that moment as I was granted my freedom I heard what my master planned for his son.  The son who never wished harm on anything was left to wander Earthland for centuries with only death as his companion.  Even though he would never wish harm on anything, harm would spring from him regardless.  There were many times when the darkness within him became overwhelming and he would create terrible things that caused much pain and suffering.”

          Erza had a small frown on her face while she digested this information.  “You were never given the name of the father, but what of the son?  Did you ever get his name?”

          Virgo lifted the second drink Gray had given her and downed half of it.  Closing her eyes, she whispered “Yes I knew his name.  Zeref has suffered much for the kindness he granted me.”

* * *

 

          Gray stiffened when he heard that name.  The world seemed to white out around him as he realized the master who had traumatized Virgo was responsible for the death of his parents and his village.  Erza grabbed his glass from him as his fingers tightened almost to the point of breaking the glass.  Shooting a worried glance his way she turned to face Virgo.  “Are you telling me that Zeref the dark wizard rescued you?”

          Virgo looked a bit shell shocked herself from talking about the horrors she’d been through.  She could feel the struggle Gray was fighting with himself and slowly turned only her head to look at him.  “Yes.  I know the two of you fought one of his creations and destroyed it.  He would come into the room where his father kept me after he was done with me and clean my wounds.  What he is now is not the person he was before his father cursed him.”

          Gray abruptly stood up and stalked to the window Virgo had stood at earlier.  “Did you know about Deliorah?” he ground out. 

          Confused, Virgo looked from his very angry back to Erza, who heaved a sigh.  “Gray’s village and family were destroyed by one of Zeref’s creations, a demon named Deliorah.  His ice make master died to make sure Deliorah would never hurt another village,” she explained softly. 

          A single tear trailed down Virgo’s cheek as she stared at Gray.  “I didn’t know.”

          Having developed a special sense for Celestial Spirits, Gray snapped his head around and glared at Virgo.  “Don’t you dare fucking disappear!  I just need a minute to deal with this.”  He ground his fists tight enough to leave impressions from his nails. 

          Erza leaned forward and laid a hand on Virgo’s clasped hands as they trembled.  “I still don’t understand why you needed to tell us this…”

          “Because I have not been in a relationship since escaping that master.  I wear the chains to remind myself that while I am free, another gave up his freedom.  I don’t even know if I could be in a real relationship, but I wanted to try…” She shook her head again.  “Please don’t tell anyone else about this.  The Princess is the best master any of us have ever had and I don’t know what she would do if she found out.”

          Erza sensed a slight movement and turned to look at Gray.  He had succeeded in calming himself somewhat and was rolling his shoulders to release some of the tension.  He made his way back over to them and knelt in front of Virgo.

          Looking up at her, he rasped, “Look you should know by now we won’t say anything.  And I’m messed up about this because of what happened with my family and Ur, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to try.  If that’s something you still want to do, we’ll just take it slow.  You call the shots and let me know what we can do.”  He turned to quirk a brow at Erza, who after a moment nodded.  “Erza’s good with it, too.  And she’s a really good person to talk to when you’re upset,” he added with a wink.

          Erza shot him a small smile for that.  “Virgo if you ever need to talk about any of this just let me know.  I still have moments when I flashback to the slavery of my childhood.  I don’t think we can ever fully escape events like that.  But with good friends they don’t have to rule what we choose to do with our futures.”

          Virgo was crying softly now as Gray took her into his arms for a gentle hug.  “Thank you,” she mumbled into his jacket.  Erza placed a hand on Gray’s shoulder to signal she was leaving then let herself out. 

          Gray picked up the still crying Virgo and sat down on his couch with her.  They sat together for some time before she lifted her head and placed a hand on his cheek.  “I need to go back to the spirit world.  Talking about that always weakens me.  Will I see you again soon?”

          Gray smiled gently at her.  “Count on it.” He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before she disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These stories in the Connections series are shaping up to be very entwined. If you don't read Silver Lining, you may be a bit lost as to what's happening in Swords, Ice, & Chains. I didn't intend for them to work that way, but that's how the Muse is wanting them to work. So I'm bowing to the Muse here...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a training session Virgo tells some of her fellow spirits that she is ready to date again.

Virgo made her way down to the training area behind Aquarius’ house.  Although Aquarius would never admit it to Lucy, once she’d fought with Lucy a few times and spoken with Taurus and Cancer, Aquarius had decided she wanted to keep her contract with Lucy as long as possible.  To make this possible she, Taurus, and Cancer had created a training area when they were the only spirits contracted to Lucy.  They practiced battling against each other to maintain their skills and to keep winning against other Celestial Spirit mages.  As Lucy gained more contracts with other Celestial Spirits, Aquarius drug them into the training arrangement as well.  Virgo, Saggitarius, and Loke had all thought it was a great idea and agreed to never mention it to Lucy.  Today Aquarius and Cancer were to meet Virgo for sparring in the arena.

          Aquarius insisted on everyone wearing clothing they wouldn’t mind tearing up, staining, or ruining as some of the sparring got quite intense.  As such Virgo had on a simple tee shirt and shorts.  She happened to enter the area the same time Cancer did and they grinned at each other’s simple attire.  Lucy would never believe her spirits put on plain clothes to practice for her sake, and to keep from risking Aquarius’ temper the others had no intention of mentioning it.

          The sparring began as it usually did with Aquarius attacking and the others defending.  In a surprise move Virgo managed to get behind Aquarius while Cancer had her attention and burrow a deep hole directly behind the mermaid.  Cancer quickly moved forward to aid the surprise.  Aquarius was not used to being advanced upon and quickly backed into the hole, which Virgo had dug in a J shape so Aquarius couldn’t just get out.  Grinning, the other two Celestial Spirits watched from the top of the hole as Aquarius realized she was good and stuck.  “Okay, good move Virgo.  Now hand me my urn so I can get out of here,” the bristly water bearer commanded.

          As they were helping Aquarius out she was heard to mumble something about the time since she didn’t want to be late meeting Scorpio.  She then looked down at her attire and frowned.  “Okay let’s call it.  I need to change into something else.”

          Virgo looked at Aquarius’ modest tee shirt and frowned.  “What is wrong with what you have on?” she asked in confusion.  Cancer grinned at her, “She’s not going to wear something like that on a date with Scorpio.  He likes to see her in smaller tops.”

          “Do you mean you dress yourself differently just because Scorpio likes it that way?” Virgo asked as she tried to navigate the idea of having to do that herself.  Aquarius thought about it for a moment before answering.  “Well I don’t HAVE to dress differently, but we’ve been together long enough it just makes it more efficient.  The less I wear, the less we have to take off.”

          “So it’s for the purposes of getting naked then?  Well that will not be an issue for me at first, so I won’t worry about it.”  Virgo turned to begin the walk back to her house when both of the other spirits shouted, “Wait!  What?”

          Virgo turned with a smile and a finger to her mouth as if in thought.  “Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that I am going to try dating someone.”  She waited to see what their reactions would be.

          Aquarius was so excited she started jumping up and down, which is really hard to do with a mermaid’s tail.  “When did this happen?  Who is it?  Have you gone shopping yet?”

          Cancer smiled happily before walking up to Virgo and enclosing her in a warm hug.  “That’s great, hon.  But are you sure you’re ready to try it again?  It took so long for you to heal from that horrid master.”

          Virgo leaned into Cancer’s hug and gave him a small smile.  “I’m ready.” She focused on Aquarius and smiled at her as well.  “It just recently happened, and was unexpected.  I have not gone shopping yet as I didn’t know that was necessary.  And it is Gray, the Princess’ teammate.”

          Aquarius narrowed her eyes a bit.  “A human?  You truly are brave, Virgo.  But Lucy is the best master any of us have ever had, so maybe her teammate will be as good for you as Lucy is for us.”  She thought for a moment before turning to grab a small bag.  “Cancer could you please find Scorpio for me and let me know we’ll have to reschedule?  Virgo and I are going to do some major shopping.”  The grin on her face was much more excited that Virgo felt upon hearing those words.  _But perhaps she’s right.  All I really have for clothing are my maid outfits and the new dress I bought for the restaurant with Big Brother.  My training clothing will not work for all occasions.  Very well, my afternoon will be spend with Aquarius._

* * *

 

          After finally getting home from the shopping trip with Aquarius, Virgo was aghast at all the things she now owned.  Aquarius had insisted she needed all these new clothes, but some of them were quite flimsy and she didn’t know what use they could be for.  She took one particular piece that was sheer out to figure out its use.  As she held it up against her front and saw how the shape would mold to her body while not really covering anything Virgo remembered long ago wearing something similar.  _Oh!  Goodness these are much more form fitting than the seduction clothing I wore before.  But then again, it has been such a long time.  But we’re going to take things slowly, so I shouldn’t need this anytime soon._

          Virgo began to pile her purchases into piles.  The first pile had things she thought she might use soon.  The second pile had things she thought would be useful for special occasions.  And the last pile were what she thought of as seduction attire.  There were three new bikinis that she finally added to the first pile, although she blushed a bit at the thought of wearing something like that in public.

          Turning to her dressing area she put the things in the first pile away first.  Then she pondered if she should purchase a new piece of furniture to hold the seductive clothing.  Thinking of the sexy clothes led her to the handsome ice mage who had given her hope again.    _I wonder if I should approach Gray at the guild hall or at his apartment.  It wouldn’t do to just pop in.  Or would it?  I popped in before and he was fine with it.  Oh this is confusing._ Virgo finally decided to just pop into the guild hall.  Which was a bit more chaotic than usual as the reporter from Sorcerer’s Weekly had just left.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The subject of Juvia gets brought up when Virgo gets rushed out of the guild hall by a certain ice mage.

Erza was the first to notice Virgo’s entrance and quickly walked over to the maiden spirit with a smile.  “We don’t have to hide Loke and Natsu from Lucy anymore.  Gray kind of broke the ice by asking if she’d mind if the two of you were dating and Natsu just blurted out that he wanted to date Loke.  I think she’s a bit taken aback by it, but Lucy said she was fine with you and Gray dating as well as Loke and Natsu.”

          Virgo blinked in surprise, but smiled back at Erza.  “I did not expect that to happen so quickly.  Do you happen to know where Gray is?”

          Erza quickly scanned the guild hall and frowned as her eyes found Gray who was currently trying to extricate himself from Juvia’s attention so he could join them.  “Yes I know where he is.  Would you mind waiting here?” Before Virgo could respond Erza moved to distract Juvia.  Not even Juvia was foolish enough to ignore the Titania so Gray was able to make his escape.  He threw a grateful smile Erza’s way then quickly walked to where Virgo was watching in confusion.

          “Hey there how about we head outside?”  Gray grabbed Virgo’s hand and led her outdoors and away from the obsessive water woman’s gaze.  Once they’d reached a small park a short walk from the guild hall Gray stopped and sat in the grass.  He squinted up at Virgo who was watching him with a bit of suspicion.  “Should I check in with Erza before appearing in the guild hall?  Because you are acting as if you don’t wish to be seen with me.”

          Gray’s eyes widened as he realized how the escape from Juvia must have looked.  “NO!  It’s not that at all, it’s just…do you know who Juvia is?”  Virgo frowned at him in confusion.  “I know that the Princess managed a unison raid with her because Aquarius came back bragging about it, but I know nothing of her other than that.  Is she the reason we rushed out here?”

          “Yeah she is.”  Gray patted the grass next to him.  “Could you sit down?  I’d like to explain this to you, but squinting up at you like this makes it hard to see your expressions.”

          Virgo sank down onto the grass next to Gray and settled her skirt neatly around her.  She then peered at Gray in interest.  Gray licked his lips nervously before beginning to explain the complex issue with Juvia.  “Well Juvia’s a water mage and a powerful one.  She’s also really sweet, but she has this kind of obsession with me and thinks any girl I talk to is a love rival,” he finished in a rush and quite uncomfortably. 

          Virgo tilted her head as she thought about what he’d said.  “So what exactly does this mean?” she finally said.  “You speak as if you’re fond of her and yet you run from her.  I don’t understand why we didn’t stay at the guild hall.”

          Gray let out a huff of breath.  “Look I don’t want the two of you to get into a fight because I know you can take her.  And before you ask, I’ve made it clear I don’t want to date her.  She’s just…I like her and she’s an asset to the guild, but I wish she’d crush on someone else.”  He glanced sideways at Virgo who was now looking down at the grass and playing with a couple of stalks.  “Would you be okay with just avoiding her for now?  I’m fine with our team knowing we’re dating, but it might be best to keep it between us for a bit.”  
          “Because you don’t want me to stick her in a hole she can’t get out of?” Virgo enquired with a bit of a sting as she met Gray’s gaze.  “I will agree to let you handle the water woman, but if she puts you in danger I will not hesitate to place her somewhere she is no longer able to harm you.  Will this suffice?”  Gray could tell he’d have to walk a fine line with this topic.  Virgo wasn’t exactly jealous, but Juvia’s obsession was unique and could prove dangerous.  He guessed that Virgo had probably dealt with obsessive people in her lifetime and that those situations hadn’t ended well.

          “I get that you don’t like it, and I really appreciate that you’ll let me handle it.  Juvia wouldn’t hurt me, but I don’t want her trying to attack you.  Because I’d have to freeze her and I’d rather avoid that if at all possible,” he mumbled.  Gray felt Virgo relax a bit and felt his shoulders loosen up.  “So what did you come to see me for?”

          Virgo seemed to get a bit flustered and looked away from him toward another part of the park.  “Well I was wondering if you would like to do something together.  But I don’t really know what you like to do, so I thought I’d just ask.  So…what kinds of things do you enjoy doing?”

          Gray lay back on the grass and laced his hands behind his head to think.  The seasons were beginning to change from summer to fall, but the leaves hadn’t started to turn yet.  He thought back to happier times in his life when his mother would buy pumpkins and bake bread, muffins, and pies with them.  It used to be his favorite time of the year because it always smelled like pumpkins and spice in his home.  He turned his head to see that Virgo was now looking at him in interest.  “How would you feel about going shopping?  When I was little my mother used to bake things with pumpkin around this time of year and I thought it might be nice to do that with you…”

          Virgo smiled at the idea of baking more things in Gray’s home.  “I would enjoy that very much!  But do I need to change?” she glanced down at her customary maid’s outfit.  She had plenty of clothing to change into now that Aquarius had taken her shopping, but the maid’s outfit was her favorite.

          “Well that depends,” Gray drawled.  “I don’t mind if you wear your maid’s dress, but we may get lots of questions and people will stare.  Would you rather not have that happen?”  He watched Virgo’s face because he realized he truly didn’t care what others thought.  Because Virgo was a Celestial Spirit this wasn’t really something she would think of, but it was important that she knew what could happened before they just walked into town.

          “I would rather not be treated strangely, so I will go change.  Aquarius took me shopping so I have lots of clothing choices now.  Where shall we meet?”

          Gray propped himself up on his elbows.  “I can just wait for you here because trying to explain where the pumpkin patch is would be difficult.  You might want to wear something you don’t mind getting dirty just in case.”

          “Very well I will return momentarily and we will go to this pumpkin patch.  I very much enjoyed baking at your apartment earlier with Big Brother.  Do you enjoy baking, Gray?”  Gray had those huge blue eyes focused on him again.  Without really thinking about what he was saying he heard “I’ve never really baked anything, but I think it might be fun to do with you.”

          Virgo smiled happily as he froze in embarrassment.  “I think it will be fun, too” she said lightly.  She quickly picked his hand up and squeezed it before disappearing.  Gray let out the breath he’d sucked in and shook his head at himself.  _It’s like I’m a young kid again around her.  But she helps me to remember things I’d forgotten.  Like the pumpkins Mom used to bake.  This is going to take some work, but I think Erza’s right.  We could be really happy together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the Fairy Tail anime it never seems as if the seasons really change. In some areas it gets cold, but there's not really emphasis on the seasons. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year because you can bake with fresh pumpkin. All we really see in the anime of Gray's past is the sad things, so I wanted to add a bit of happy to his memories.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gray and Virgo find the pumpkin patch he'd mentioned. This is no farm stand, but an actual pumpkin patch where you walk out to the fields and choose your own pumpkin.

Gray had fallen into a light doze by the time Virgo came back from the spirit world.  She poked him lightly with her foot and Gray startled awake.  Then he stared at what the maiden spirit was wearing.  Pants that looked suspiciously like jeans, a light tee shirt, and a light fitted jacket graced Virgo’s body.  She raised her eyebrows and glanced down at herself.  “Is this not appropriate?  You said to wear clothes I wouldn’t mind getting dirty…” she trailed off as she realized he was staring in appreciation and not because she was wearing something inappropriate.

          Gray pushed himself into a sitting position then shook his head at her.  “No what you have on is fine.  I just didn’t know there were clothes like that in the spirit world.  All the stuff I’ve seen is…flashier I guess.”

          Virgo laughed softly at this.  “Well Gray in the spirit world we don’t have villages like you have here.  It’s just us and we like to have fun when we can.  So we wear ‘flashy’ clothes because they are colorful.  Much of our time in the spirit world is spent waiting for our masters to call us.”  She smiled down at Gray and held out a hand to help him up.  “Shall we go to this pumpkin patch?”

          Gray dusted himself off after standing.  He was still having a bit of trouble reconciling this normally dressed woman with the Virgo he usually saw, but then he looked into her eyes.  Definitely the same woman.  “Yeah let’s head out there.  I want to try to be done with the pumpkins before we get any rain,” he looked up at the clouds overhead.  Virgo followed his gaze upwards “We should get to this pumpkin patch quickly so we don’t get caught in bad weather,” she suggested.

          On that note he took off with a brisk pace that Virgo had to almost jog to match.

* * *

 

          Virgo had never seen a pumpkin, let alone a whole patch of them and as they reached their destination she stopped to stare at the fields.  This was a true patch where you walked out and picked up your own pumpkins and there were all kinds to choose from.  Large and small pumpkins, pink pumpkins, squat pumpkins, and her personal favorites – white pumpkins covered the fields.  There were others walking the fields to find the pumpkins they wanted and Virgo had no idea where to start.  Gray had noticed she wasn’t next to him anymore and walked back to where she was standing.  “Something wrong?”

          Virgo frowned a bit, but explained “I don’t really know what we need for this.  Do you have any idea what kind of pumpkins or how many we need for this baking?”

          Gray scratched his head and realized he really didn’t know either.  “Well my Mom always got the kind that looked like that,” here he pointed at some medium shaped pumpkins “and then she’d turn them into all these muffins and things.  I guess we need a recipe book or something.”  Looking around he noticed there was a small store attached to the end of the nearest field.  “Maybe they’ll have something in here,” he suggested as he pulled Virgo in the direction of the shop.

          As they browsed the small shop Virgo spied a small selection of books.  She approached and read the titles before jumping excitedly.  “They have one here for pumpkin recipes!” she called to Gray.  He smiled to see how much she was enjoying this simple shopping trip.  As she peered into the recipe book Gray sidled up to the shopkeeper.  “What would you recommend getting if you wanted to cook up several pumpkins?”  The shopkeeper pointed out several things that Gray put together along with the book Virgo had been looking at.  “Is it okay if we leave these here while we go out to the fields?”

          The shopkeeper assured them that would be fine, and then got busy with another customer.  Gray walked with Virgo toward the fields and noticed she keep staring at the white pumpkins.  “You like those?” he asked curiously. 

          “I do like them, but I think the white ones are more for decoration than cooking.  Something like this would not last long in the spirit world because of the time difference.  So we should probably just get the cooking kind of pumpkins,” Virgo murmured with a bit of a frown.

          Gray thought about it for a moment before perking up a bit.  “If you really want a white one we could get it and leave it on the front entrance to my place.  It would just be for decoration, but you could see it whenever you came over to visit.  Would you like that?”

          Virgo sent him a shy smile.  “That would make me very happy.  Are you sure you don’t mind?  We’re going to need several of the other pumpkins as well, so there will be quite a few plus the white one.  I read in the book how to cook them down, but it takes a bit of time.”

          Gray held out his hand to the maiden spirit.  “Come on, let’s go get some pumpkins.  I haven’t done this since I was a kid and it’s something I used to love.  Finding the right pumpkin is like a treasure hunt,” he added with a twinkle.  She took his hand and followed him out to the fields where they both promptly lost track of time in the search for their pumpkins.

* * *

 

          Gray had to borrow a small cart from the shopkeeper in order to get their pumpkins and the other supplies back to his apartment.  Not far from his place the rain they’d been hoping to avoid began to fall down on them.  “Crap I’m gonna put this cart under the steps and we’ll just carry the bags in.  Let’s hurry so we don’t get soaked” he called to Virgo.  She grabbed several bags and he grabbed the rest before heading up the steps. 

          After unlocking his door and walking inside quickly, Gray set his items down in the kitchen.  Virgo followed him in and sat her items down as well when he noticed they’d both gotten pretty wet from the rain.  That light jacket hadn’t really offered much protection and Virgo’s hair was pretty wet as well.  “You want to borrow a shirt or something?” he called as he went into his bedroom and grabbed a couple of towels from the bathroom. 

          Virgo hesitantly peered into his bedroom.  “If it’s not too much trouble,” she began and then broke off as Gray dropped a towel onto her head and began drying off her hair.  She pulled it back a bit so she could peek up at him from under the towel.  Gray paused as he took in the picture she made with those huge eyes peering up at him under his towel.  “A shirt would be very nice,” she finished as he stared into her eyes. 

          Gray flushed slightly and backed off.  “Yeah sure, let me just grab one and you can just change in the bathroom.  Do you need shorts or anything?”

          Virgo looked at her body and then over at Gray who was now toweling off his own hair.  “I do not think your shorts would fit me, and my pants are not as wet as the rest of me.  But thank you,” she said with a smile as he came toward her with one of his shirts. 

          Gray watched as Virgo walked into his bathroom and closed the door behind her.  He sank quickly onto his bed as he realized she was taking off clothes in his house.  _Yeah get your head out of the gutter, Gray.  We’re here for baking, not making out.  Maybe we’ll get to the making out some other time._

          Shaking his head slightly Gray quickly pulled out dry clothing for himself, changed, and went back into the kitchen to look over what they needed to do to make pumpkin bread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've never had the chance to go to any actual pick your own pumpkin patch, I highly recommend it. There's nothing quite like picking your own pumpkin off the vine rather than purchasing one from a grocery store.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm interested in adding some of the mythology of Virgo into this story, but I'm not sure how it will translate yet.


End file.
